Thoughts On 21 st Century Leadership

1. ThoughtsOn21st CenturyLeadership Rodney L. Robertson, Ph.D. Executive Director Auburn University Huntsville Research Center

2. Agenda • My Leadership Background • Thoughts on 21st Century Leadership • Ideas not Answers My Purpose Today is to Make You Think About Your Leadership

3. Senior Leadership Experience • Executive Director, Auburn University Huntsville Research Center (AUHRC) • July 2010 to Present • Director Technical Center, U.S. Army SMDC/ARSTRAT • December 2005 to July 2010 • Deputy Director, Technical Center, SMDC • April 2001 to December 2005 • Director Sensors Directorate, SMDC • May 1999 to March 2001

4. Volunteer Senior Leadership Experience • President Southeastern Cybersecurity Foundation • Chairman National Cyber Summit • May 2015 to Present • President Cyber Huntsville • July 2010 to April 2015 • Past President • Air Space and Missile Defense Association • Past Chairman • Space and Missile Defense Conference • Board of Directors • National Defense Industrial Association • National Space Club

5. Credits • The Leadership Challenge, James Kouzes and Barry Possner, Josey-Bass, 1997 • George Edward Thibault, SES APEX Class, 2004 • Various Ted X Talks • Numerous Books and Articles • 36 Years Experience

6. Definition of Leadership • “The art of mobilizing others to want to struggle for shared expectations.” • The Leadership Challenge, James Kouzes and Barry Possner, Josey-Bass, 1997 • “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” • Warren Bennis

7. Ask Yourself • If your Organization Was Made Up of Volunteers • Would you have an Organization???? A Leader is Someone Who Has Followers

8. What it’s not about... • Managing the “store” • Playing it safe – Maintaining the Status Quo • Being in charge - position; authority • Being able to direct people to do things • Making all the decisions - doing it “my” way • Advancing your career - stepping into the spotlight

9. What Is A Great Leader?? • Is it An All Knowing Super Hero that Stands, Commands, and Controls • World That Was • Not the World That Is or Is Coming Roselinde Torres

10. Recent Survey(4000 Companies) • 58% of Organizations Admitted to Failing to Grow Great 21st Century Leaders • Organizations are Making Large Investments in Leadership Training and Development • Why is the Leadership Gap Growing Despite Investment??? Roselinde Torres

11. Why Is Leadership So Difficult?? • Simple Concept • Establish and Communicate a Clear Vision • Create a Culture of Trust and Cooperation • Provide an Environment that Enables Everyone to Excel • Have Passion for the Mission and Perseverance for Long-Term Goals • Work Hard to Make The Long-Term Vision a Reality • Show Appreciation to Employees for a Job Well Done

12. Why Is Leadership So Difficult • But Leadership is Complex to Implement • Dealing with People • Inspire / Motivate • So They Want to Accomplish the Mission and Achieve Shared Goals • Must Know Them and Take Care of Them • You Can’t Fake It – Leadership Must be “AUTHENTIC” • As People and Organizations Evolve • What it Takes to be a Successful Leader Changes

13. What Always Works • Caring about People and Creating an Environment for Success • Leadership Starts Inside of You • What You think About Yourself • Ego Can Be a Detriment • How You Think About Those Around You • What You Do Matters • Model the Behavior You Want to See in Others • DWYSYWD

14. Ask Yourself • What are Great Leaders Doing to Thrive and Grow? • What Makes a Great Leader in the 21st Century • Digitally Connected World

15. What Makes a Great Leader in the 21st Century?(3 Questions) 1. Where are you Looking to Anticipate Change ? You Must be Able to See Around the Corner - Shape the Future Calendar – Where Do You Spend Your Time • Great Leaders Continually Assess • The Realities of the Present • The Unknown Possibilities of the Future Roselinde Torres

16. What Makes a Great Leader in the 21st Century?3 Questions 2. Are You Courageous Enough to Abandon What Made You Successful in the Past? - If it Makes Sense Roselinde Torres

17. What Makes a Great Leader in the 21st Century?3 Questions 3. What is the Diversity of Your Network?? What is Your Capacity to Connect and Develop Relationships With People That Are Different From You? Can You Connect With a Diverse Group of People and Inspire them to Achieve a Shared Goal? Think Differently!!! Roselinde Torres

18. Environment / Culture Matters Leaders Create the Culture

19. Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe • Military Gives Medals to People That Are Willing To Sacrifice Themselves So Others May Gain • In Business We Give Bonuses to People Who are Willing to Sacrifice Others So They May Gain It is the People, Environment / Culture Simon Sinek

20. Culture Matters • Army Rangers (Culture) • “I Will NOT Leave a Fallen Comrade Behind” • Probably Stronger Than Most Marriage Vows Great Leaders Listen, Learn,…. Then Lead Ret General Stanley McChrystal

21. Culture / Environment Matter • Develop a Deep Sense of Trust and Cooperation • The Only Variable is the People and Environment Inside the Organization • Treat Everyone with Dignity and Respect Simon Sinek All Kinds of Danger Competitors Organization Technology Changes Global Markets Shift

22. Organizational Environment • Do Your Employees Fear the Leader? • Do Your Peers and Your Employees Spend Valuable Time Protecting Themselves • From each other? If Employees Feel Safe They Naturally Work Together to Achieve GREAT Things “Trust and Cooperate”

23. Why it is time to Forget the Pecking order? • Everyone is Important • Chicken Story (Purdue University Study) • Goal: Make Chickens More Productive Laying Eggs • Two Groups Six Generations • Success Achieved at the Expense of the other Chickens • Success Achieved by Suppressing the Productivity of Others Margaret Heffernan

24. Take Care of People Treat Everyone With Dignity and Respect

25. Take Care of Employees • Taking Care of Employees is Like Raising Your Kids • Want Them to Grow • Prosper • Get Educated • Get Great Job Opportunities Treat and Value Your Employees Like You Treat Your Family and They Will Ensure That You and Your Organization are Successful Simon Sinek

26. Don’t Sacrifice the People • If Leaders Sacrifice so the People May Be Safe • Then the People Will Sacrifice for the Leader • They Will Do Whatever it Takes to Make the Leader’s Vision a Reality • 20 % Cut Turned into a $40M Profit Don’t Sacrifice the People to Save The Numbers…. Sacrifice the Numbers to Save the People

27. Their Success is Your Success • They Will be Proud of the Work They Do With You • They Will Go Home Anxious to Come Back • They Will Know You Want Them to Share Their Ideas - and They Will • They Will Feel You Helped Them to Grow Personally and Professionally • Maybe More Than They Thought They Could

28. The Role of the Leader is Ultimately to be the Teacher

29. Teach the Vision • Explain, Reiterate, Remind, and do it All Again • Important That You Have Enthusiasm, Passion, Honesty • Something You Really Care About • “We,” Instead of “I” • You Can’t Fake It – Leadership Must be “AUTHENTIC” • You Can’t Do it Alone - Each of Us Has a Role • Must Inspire – Employees “Want” to Achieve the Vision

30. How Do You Inspire Employees to Want to Achieve the Vision? • Imagine Everyone is a Volunteer • You Need Them • How do They Know?? • You Care About Them • What Will You Do for People Who Care About You?? • Positional Authority is Just Power • Buys You an Office and Maybe Obedient Servants

31. Moral Authority / True AuthorityAttracts Followers and Gives You the Power to Really Get Things Done

32. Moral Authority The Mark of a True Leader • People Follow Willingly • Even When You Are Not There • Creates a Bond of Loyalty • The Positional Leader • Rank Must be Obeyed - Any Fool Can Do It • When Chips are Down - The Fool Finds Self Alone • The True Leader: • “Over the Hill” – He / She Moves to the Front to Lead - To Model the Way • Troops Wouldn’t Let Him Go Alone - Would Follow Him / Her Anywhere

33. How to Build Moral / True Authority • Begins and Ends with TRUST • What Builds Trust - Or Takes It Away? • Honesty • Competence • Fairness/Justice • Core values • Integrity • You Can’t Fake it

34. The Leader Must be the Servant of the Followers

35. The Secret of Leadership • The Leader is Servant First • That Simple Fact is the Key to His / Her Greatness • Leadership is Bestowed • it is Not Self-Declared • Your Followers, Not Your Position, Bestow the Mantle of Leadership • How do You Cause Them to Want to Follow You??

36. Give Away Control • If you are Not Leading, Control is All You Have Going For You • Power is Infinitely Expandable • It Strengthens Your Team • Free to Develop Ideas • Free to Push the Boundaries • Free to Act on Own Initiative • Feel Excitement and Satisfaction of Accomplishment

37. Where Do You Start? • Usual Starting Place • Set Standards • Keep Close Eye on the Work • Keep Tight Rein Over Your People • Separate Self From Team a Little, So They Have a Healthy Respect for You and Your Orders • But This is WRONG!!!

38. Where Should You Start? • You MUST Start Here: • Let Team Have Full Say in How Job is Done • Let Them Innovate • Let Them Make Decisions for Themselves • Let Them Make Mistakes • Does This Mean They Lead and You Follow? • NO. They Contribute Ideas - You Make the Final Decision • NO. If They are Completely Stumped, Suggest Something

39. Modeling the Way

40. Modeling the Way • DWYSYWD • Follow Through • Must Take the Moral High Ground

41. Modeling Behavior • Leadership Starts Inside of You • What You think About Yourself (Ego) • How You Think About Those Around You • What You Say is Irrelevant • What You Do is Everything • Values are Important You must become the change you want to see in others Benjamin Disraeli

42. Final Thoughts

43. Significant Predictor of Leadership Success • Establish and Communicate a Clear Vision for the Organization • Create a Culture of Trust and Cooperation • Provide an Environment that Enables Everyone to Excel • Have Passion and Perseverance for Long-Term Goals • Work Hard to Make The Long-Term Vision a Reality • Show Appreciation for a Job Well Done

44. The Criteria of a Great Workplace Environment • Trust • I know I Am Trusted To Do the Right Thing • Communications • “An Individual Without Information Cannot Take Responsibility; An Individual Who is Given Information Cannot Help but Take Responsibility” (Jan Carlzon, SAS) • Involvement • “Everyone Needs to Know and Feel That They Are Needed (Jan Carlzon, SAS) • Appreciation • So You Noticed :-)

45. Great Leaders Listen, Learn, and Trust • Leaders Hold a Position of Power and Authority • Those Who Lead Inspire Those Around Them • Great Leaders Listen, Learn, and Trust • They Don’t Assume They Are Always Right • They Don’t Let Their Ego Get in the Way • They NEVER Stop Learning

46. Management Versus Leadership • “Management is Getting People to do What Needs to be Done • Leadership is Getting People to Want to do What Needs to be Done • Managers Push - Leaders Pull • Managers Command - Leaders Communicate” • Warren Bennis

47. Management Versus Leadership • When I talk to managers I get the feeling that they are important • When I talk to leaders I get the feeling that I am important Face Book

48. Your Opportunity as a Leader • Create Something New, Something Better • What Legacy Will You Leave Behind? How Long Will it Last? • Really Improve the Organization • Anybody Can “Run”It. Can You Change it For the Better? • Free People of Bureaucratic Handcuffs • How Much Leeway do Your People Have? Encourage Them to Take More • Are You Ready to Change the Rules, if it Makes Sense? • Your Power/Authority is Only Good for One Thing • Helping Your Subordinates to do Their Job

49. Your Opportunity (cont) • Help People to Reach Their Full Potential • Get Out of Their Way - Encourage and Reward Innovation • Stretch and Grow Personally • Take Chances - Bet on Your People • Stop Doing Everyone Else’s Job for Them • Figure Out What is the Thing That Only You Can Do • Give Away Authority - It Never Runs Out • It’s Infinite - Giving it Away Increases the Amount You Have

50. Questions???